Tumimbang: Cases are in an overall decline
By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Provincial Health officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, recently revealed Morbidity Week 35, a weekly report documenting issues related to various diseases, showed the number of dengue cases in the province has increased. Based on the data, the number of dengue cases has reached 7,208 cases, up from the 4,327 recorded during the same period last year.
In addition, the number of fatalities has also increased to 57, an increase from the 52 recorded last year.
Tumimbang said Kabankalan City and Murcia continue to report the highest number of cases. However, he pointed out, new cases in Kabankalan City have dropped to 36, while the number of new cases in Silay City increased to 62. The provincial official noted, the drop in the number of cases in Kabankalan City proves their countermeasures are working.
Tumimbang also said the number of cases are still in an overall downtrend, pointing out, the province’s dengue cases peaked on Weeks 31 to 32. He added, while there is nothing to worry about, there is still a need to sustain the campaign against dengue through cleaning, fogging, and information dissemination.
“We’ve already set the preventive measures and we need to continue it,” the provincial official said.
Earlier, the Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) showed dengue fever cases continues to spike in the city.
Based on information gathered between January 1 and August 31, a total of 1,753 dengue cases, along with seven deaths, were recorded this year, up from the 748 cases and six deaths reported in 2018, constituting a rise of 134.4 percent.
CHO Environment and Sanitation Division head, Dr. Grace Tan, noted, the most recent fatality was a 12-year-old from Barangay Tangub.
The city health official reiterated the call to observe the “4 o’clock habit” and encouraged everyone to clean their surroundings at 4:00 p.m. in an effort to prevent mosquito breeding places.
She added, the clean-up should not be only done in the streets but also within homes./DGB, WDJ